This series introduces the essential techniques of digital sets and backgrounds, an area growing in prominence and frequent use in visual effects. In this first disk of a series of three, visual effects designer Eric Hanson reviews architectural design principles then leads into setting up a scene with a tracked camera and live action plate. Next, Eric illustrates efficient set modeling techniques using both NURBS and polygons. Finally, the lesson provides a broad review of camerawork, from motion control to camera projection. Throughout the disk, Eric uses a sample scene to highlight all essential steps. The disk is designed for all advancing intermediate Maya artists.

This series introduces the essential techniques of digital sets and backgrounds, an area growing in prominence and frequent use in visual effects. In this second disk in a series of three, visual effects designer Eric Hanson conditions. covers the global illumination revolution reviewing lighting principles specific to digital sets. He then leads into direct lighting techniques for both exterior and interior conditions. Finally, the lesson highlights digital set texturing, from Adobe Photoshop® techniques, to weathering surfaces with procedural shaders. Throughout the disk, Eric uses a sample scene to highlight all essential steps. This series is designed for all advancing intermediate Maya artists.

This series introduces the essential techniques of digital sets and backgrounds, an area growing in prominence and frequent use in visual effects. In this third disk of a series of three, visual effects desginer Eric Hanson begins with rendering a Maya scene into layers and passes, then leads into basic approaches for professionally compositing a sample scene. Finally, he examines the main composite tree in Shake, illustrating the use of the various render passes. Throughout the disk, Eric uses a sample scene to highlight all essential steps. This series is designed for all advancing intermediate Maya artists

Introducing panoramic photography for digital set building, photographer Greg Downing walks you through a step-by-step-process of creating high-resolution omni-directional panoramas. This highly detailed description starts with an equipment survey, revealing all relevant photography instructions and demonstrations. Using a normal film or digital camera with Realviz Stitcher, Greg provides a complete guide to image stitching, culminating in some some cool ways to use your panoramas for 3D, print or the web.

In the first DVD of this image modeling series, Greg Downing teaches you how to transform your film or digital photographs into highly realistic 3D Models. Image modeling is a general tool that is useful for movies, videogames, or visualizations that require digitizing real sets, props or, in some cases, characters. Once the objects are digitized, any 3D manipulation is possible: adding to, removing or destroying parts of the scene, effects that are related to depth such as fog, or camera moves that would be impossible with a real movie camera. Greg introduces the photographic steps, calibration, modelingand texturing with Image Modeler and finally shows you how to import the best result into the 3D application of your choice.

In the final DVD of this digital set building series, photographer Greg Downing delves into more advanced photogrammetry techniques. This lesson teaches you how to perform image-based modeling and texturing within Maya using cameras calibrated for Realviz Image Modeler. Greg shows you how using panoramas for photogrammetry allows you to construct a location with a minimal number of images. He then illustrates how to calibrate those panoramas in Realviz Image Modeler for image-based modeling and texturing within Maya. This DVD assumes a basic familiarity with polygonal modeling, and though the examples are demonstrated within Maya, the workflow is applicable to any 3D package.

Head Sculpting and Texturing
ZBrush Techniques with Alex Alvarez

This DVD set takes an in-depth look at the design and creation of a detailed character head using Pixologic’s ground-breaking software Zbrush. In over eight hours of lecture, Alex Alvarez sculpts a head from scratch using Zspheres and Zbrush’s arsenal of sculpting and detailing tools. Beginning with primitive shapes derived from Zspheres, the primary forms of the head are quickly blocked out to determine general proportion and design. Alex then refines the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and horn regions before moving into Projection Master to create surface details. Once the geometry is complete, the use of Zbrush as a texturing tool is demonstrated in the creation of high-resolution bump, color and specular maps. The creation of custom tileable Alpha libraries with Zbrush and Photoshop is also demonstrated. In conclusion, Alex shows how to integrate geometry, displacements and textures using an external 3D package, specifically Maya's native renderer and Mental Ray. Every single step of the process is shown in a combination of real-time and timelapse video

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